Kari Lake, senior adviser for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Newsmax on Wednesday, saying his political metamorphosis ahead of a possible presidential run cannot undo the damage she argues his policies have caused in California.
Appearing on “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” Lake criticized Newsom, accusing him of attempting to reshape his image to seek higher office while ignoring his legacy of failed policies.
“Well, people won’t forget what he did to California,” Lake said. “I mean, he can try to be a chameleon and try to recreate himself, but he’s the guy responsible for that phrase: ‘Don’t California my Arizona, don’t California my Florida,’ you name it. You add any state from the mass exodus of people who just couldn’t take it anymore. And it was because of Gavin Newsom’s policies and, frankly, Democrat policies that have been dead end and don’t work. They don’t make life better. They make life worse.”
Lake argued that Newsom is now adopting positions closer to those of President Donald Trump because even Democrats, she said, prefer policies centered on law and order and tackling homelessness directly.
“He’s making a big change,” she added. “But people aren’t going to fall for it.”
Lake suggested that even if Newsom adjusts policies for political survival, his career remains irreparably harmed.
“I think his political career is shot after what he did to California, no matter how much hair gel he uses, no matter, as you said, how beautiful his family is.
“It doesn’t matter because he destroyed California and made so many people’s lives miserable, and put illegal aliens over and ahead of real Californians and American citizens. And that’s unforgivable.”
Asked whether Newsom could still secure the Democratic nomination in 2028, Lake acknowledged the lack of strong alternatives, but dismissed his chances in a general election.
“Hey, listen, I’m not saying he’s not going to be the nominee because there’s nobody in the Democrat Party right now.”
“When someone like [Arizona Sen.] Ruben Gallego thinks he’s got a shot, you know it’s pretty bad,” she said.
Lake closed by emphasizing her belief that voters will reject Democrats after years of discontent.
“I don’t believe for one second the people of this country, after what the Democrats and frankly, the political class put us through until President Trump stepped into office and saved America, pulled us up from the flames and from the ashes and saved America — I don’t think that anyone’s going to vote for president for a Democrat after what they put us through over the past four years.”
Her comments come as Newsom pushes a controversial proposal in California to end the state’s nonpartisan redistricting process, which has long been praised as a model for fairness, in favor of a politically drawn map that could give Democrats more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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